Uncommon Friends Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of its 2016 student scholarships. Scholarships are awarded to deserving students, veterans, struggling adults, and single parents who are pursuing degrees in education, law, technology, and other studies. Nominees came from Lee, Charlotte, Collier, Glades, and Hendry Counties, need financial assistance, excel in school and in their personal lives, and possess high quality character traits.

Berne Davis Future Teacher Scholarship (new) – Kerri Houghton, Cape Coral High School.
Florida Prepaid Scholarships – Mulon Missick and William Reich, Bishop Verot High School.
Hilliard Scholarship – TeVon Thompson, Moore Haven Middle High School.
Lee County Bar Association Scholarship – Linnea Dulikravich, Gulf Coast High School.
PACE Center for Girls of Lee County Scholarship – Aaliyah Debose.
Single Parent – Jasmine Milfort-Smith, Lifeline Family Centers.
Veteran’s Scholarship – Tiana Bohrer, Cape Coral Technical College.

2016 Special Recognition Scholarship winners are: Carica Astrel, Florida Southwestern State College; Cinnamon Espana, Gulf Harbour Yacht & Country Club; Nina Griffin, Florida Arts, Inc.; Chelsea Kopp and Paige Santiago, North Fort Myers High School; Jennifer Lynch, Roadhouse Café; Johana Stubbs, Lemon Bay High School; Taylor Toreno, Uncommon Friends Foundation, Inc.; and Josiah Vega, Hope in Motion.

The Berne Davis Future Teacher Scholarship in the amount of $5,000 was added this year to help a deserving student pursue a college degree in education. Mrs. Davis was a life-long champion of higher education and the arts and has endowed this scholarship for future teachers.

All winners will be honored at the Uncommon Friends Foundation Uncommon Evening annual event to be held Thursday, November 3, from 6 to 9 pm at the historic Burroughs Home & Gardens Gale McBride Pavilion. Tickets and sponsorships to the event can be purchased by emailing angela@uncommonfriends.org.

The annual scholarship committee has been chaired for the last 13 years by Uncommon Friends Foundation Board Member Brenda Stewart and other volunteers. Working together with many community service organizations serving special and underserved populations, the committee identifies deserving individuals who will benefit through its needs and character based scholarships. Over the past 21 years, the foundation has awarded nearly 470 educational scholarships totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The Uncommon Friends Foundation is a nonprofit organization established in 1993 and dedicated to lifelong character building among today’s youth and business leaders. It promotes character education in schools, ethics in the workplace, and preservation of the historic Burroughs Home & Gardens and James Newton Archives. The Uncommon Friends Foundation is located at the Burroughs Home & Gardens on the riverfront in downtown Fort Myers at 2505 First Street. Public tours are available by reservation. For more information, visit https://uncommonfriends.org/ or call Executive Director Angela Melvin at (239) 337-9503.